


Going To Be True, If You'll Let Me

by knifelesbian



Series: Around The World And Back Again [1]
Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Mild Angst, but a loving little shit so its fine, chase is kind of a sap, chase stein/gert yorkes - Freeform, chase stein/gertrude yorkes - Freeform, gratuitous use of the word 'okay', i dont want to pull the wool over anyones eyes here, insecure/oblivious gert, its coming but its not here srry :(, molly is kind of a little shit in this one, so im gonna say that theres very little deanoru in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 04:49:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13069485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knifelesbian/pseuds/knifelesbian
Summary: Gert has decided: she is going to get over Chase even if it kills her.but what if he doesn't want her to?





	Going To Be True, If You'll Let Me

Technically, this is all Alex's fault. When they'd found the safe in Chase's father's office- his parents were out of town for a convention- Alex was determined to get it open that night. 'I'm almost there,' he'd say, 'just a few more minutes,' he'd say. _Bullshit _, Gert would think.__

__As much as she wants to know what's in the safe, the biggest rainstorm in months is raging outside, and Gert had_ wanted _to get home before it got so bad she and Molly wouldn't be able to drive home.__

__Which, of course, is what happens._ _

__So now the six of them are stuck at Chase's house for the night._ _

__She catches his eye from the couch, and immediately looks away. She's not exactly avoiding him, but she is trying her damn hardest to get over him, because she's pretty sure he doesn't like her, and feeling the way Gert does is a waste of everyone's time._ _

__The six of them are sat in the living room, and Alex is fiddling with the safe, Nico looking over his shoulder. She'd already tried using her staff, but it hadn't worked. Gert almost wants to commend Mr. Stein for figuring out how to block literal, actual, magic, but then she remembers he's a ritualistic murderer and mentally backtracks._ _

__Molly is taking up the entire couch and also using Gert's thigh as a pillow, but she can't bring herself to push her off. She'd carried the ridiculously heavy safe all the way from the office on the third floor to the living room two floors down. She runs a hand over Molly's curls, then shivers._ _

__"It's freezing here. Damn, Chase, you live like this?" Nico snorts at her joke, and she lets the small bit of validation distract her from what might basically be another few hours of waiting._ _

__"Hey, my people come from warmth and sunshine. If we had a normal heating system we'd melt."_ _

__"And what people is that, gym rats or hair gel top customers?" She really shouldn't be talking to Chase right now. It always devolves into flirting so fast- for her, at least, and that is the opposite of what she should be doing._ _

__"Hey, not all of us can roll out of bed looking like we just walked off a colour shampoo promotional shoot, leave me and my hair alone."_ _

__"Oh but you're just so easy to make fun of. How long does it take you to reach perfection before you leave the house? Do you have to get up early or do you get to class late?"_ _

__"As if you don't meticulously plan out your outfits every morning to look as cool and unique as possible." His mouth curls around the words with a smirk, and she has to look away, just for a second._ _

__"Pssh, says the boy who wears variations of the same thing every day just because he knows it looks nice on him, wear something other than a Henley or Polo and we can talk." His cheeks are kind of pink and blotchy. it's a good look on him._ _

__"Jeez, would you guys stop flirting? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Molly pokes her in the stomach, and Gert pushes her onto the floor. Gently, though. She's not that mean._ _

__"Ow, just because I called out you and your dumb boyfriend doesn't mean you can push me. Wait, that's rude, sorry Chase," she says, turning to him like the scoundrel she is, "you're not dumb."_ _

__He chokes out a, "Thanks, Mols," before getting up and going to the Nico and Alex across the room, both of whom are two seconds from busting out laughing. Karolina, who's been quietly losing her fucking mind in the corner, stops when Gert throws her her best 'if you don't stop right now there will be hell to pay' look. She'd perfected it when Molly turned 11._ _

__Eventually, Alex cracks open the safe. Inside is a tiny usb, which he then plugs into his laptop and before settling on the couch, eyes glued to the screen. He plugs in his earbuds, and it's clear he's not going to move an inch for the next couple hours._ _

__Molly and Chase end up having to carry the safe back upstairs. Molly keeps saying she can do it herself, but there's no way Gert is going to send her sister into a coma when she can send her into a nice nap instead._ _

__~~~~~_ _

__"So," Molly says as soon as the safe is put back, kicking the door closed with her foot, "Are you actually into my sister, or am I, like, hallucinating?" Shit, why is everyone calling him out today?_ _

__"Um. We're not dating, if that's what you mean. Not that I don't want to date her, because," he looks away, choosing his words carefully, "because she's awesome, and so great, but I feel like I threw away my shot when I all but ignored her for Karolina, which was dumb, especially since she's literally a lesbian, how oblivious can I be, right?"_ _

__He hears a thud, and realizes looking away from a girl with power triggered narcolepsy right after using said powers was probably a bad idea._ _

__~~~~~_ _

__Chase comes down the stairs holding a sleeping Molly in a bridal carry like it's the easiest thing he's ever done, laying her down on the couch as gently as possible. It really is unfair that he's so hot and so caring all at once. Pick one, right?_ _

__The five of them (Alex is trying his damndest to break that firewall tonight) fiddle with their phones for a few minutes, but even that gets boring after a while._ _

__"Hey," Karolina says, hesitantly, "Do you guys want to play never have I ever? Or two truths and a lie? Or something? There's no point in just waiting in silence for Alex to get through the firewall."_ _

__"Um," Gert says, "Sure?" she's not wrong, and hey, it could be.....fun?_ _

__"Alright, so what are we gonna play? I vote never have I ever," Nico says. Chase agrees, and goes to grab the drinks with the lowest alcohol content for everyone but Molly, who just gets soda._ _

__"I figured no one actually wanted to get drunk tonight, so." They sit in a small circle, Chase on one side of her and Karolina on the other._ _

__"I'll start, I guess?" Nico says, "Never have I ever gotten arrested."_ _

__Gert takes a drink, but she's the only one to do so. Nico looks as surprised as she is, clearly she thought that should've gotten more._ _

__"Okaayy," she says, "since I was the only one to drink, I guess I'll go? Never have I ever shown up to school hungover." Chase and Nico both take a drink._ _

__"Never have I ever...." Chase starts, "fallen asleep at a random time." Molly groans and takes a drink._ _

__"That's not fair, but if you want to play that way, fine." she looks around the group, a little devilishly, then says, "Never have I ever had strong feelings for someone in our friend group, and if it's more than one person you finish your glass." Gert is going to fight her sister._ _

__"Molly, I'm going to sic my dinosaur on you," she says, then takes a drink, as does Karolina. Nico looks at her glass indecisively like she can't decide, Karolina watching her without subtlety as she finishes off her drink._ _

__Chase tips back his glass for a long drink, then places it in front of him._ _

__It's empty._ _

__Molly winks at her when she catches her eye before Karolina starts._ _

__"Never have I ever snuck out of the house."_ _

__Everyone but Molly drinks, and the next hour devolves from there, even after they switch to two truths and a lie._ _

__"Seriously, though, it is absolutely freezing in here," she says, after they'd decided to stop playing, for fear they'd wake up Molly. She'd fallen asleep a few minutes ago, and the four of them left wanted to let her sleep._ _

__"Do you want my sweater?" Chase asks._ Yes yes yes i am so cold yes _.__

__"Uh, I'm good, thanks." She can't, okay. It would only fuel the pros section of why she shouldn't fight her crush on Chase. It's starting to become a big list._ _

__But Chase doesn't have ears, apparently, because he pulls off his sweater, a soft grey hoodie that's big even on him, and tosses it to her._ _

__She immediately pulls it over her head, begrudgingly thanking him and smiling despite herself._ _

__The sweater is as soft as it looks, and worn at the wrists, clearly very old. She burrows into it, smells the scent of his Givenchy cologne that she knows he has, Chase, she saw it on his nightstand- and something else that she hasn't ever been able to place, even when they were younger. She pulls up the hood, because damn, she really is freezing._ _

__~~~~~_ _

__Oh._ _

__Oh, shit, why did Chase do this to himself._ _

__~~~~~_ _

__She falls asleep in the hoodie._ _

__By 11:30, everyone was tired, so Chase found pillows and blankets, and Nico forced Alex off his laptop to get some sleep. They all mutually agreed Molly should get the couch, and lie down in a circle in almost the same spots as when they were earlier, Alex taking Molly's place. Gert curls into a ball, tucks her legs under the sweater and pulls the blanket up over her ears, knowing that she wont fall asleep but trying anyway. Since they'd learned about their parents, her insomnia had gotten worse, though it was manageable. But on the floor? In someone else's house? No way she'll fall asleep before 4 AM._ _

__Waking up the next morning, Gert doesn't want to get up. She actually gotten a bit more sleep than expected last night, and she's so warm, and her pillow is so comfortable._ _

__But she cracks an eye open anyways, because her pillow happens to be_ moving _.__

__She's got her arm thrown across Chase's stomach, her head resting on her chest. Their legs are tangled together, and Chase's arm is wrapped around her, holding her close, almost protectively._ _

__Or, alternatively, he won't let go and Gert is going to die from emotional overload. Right here, right now. Screw getting their parents put in jail, screw solving the mystery; Gert is going to keel over and die right now._ _

__"Chase," she says, poking him, "Wake up."_ _

__"Five more minutes, babe," yep, she's going to die. The epitaph on her gravestone is going to read, 'I blame Chase Stein.'_ _

__And Chase doesn't even have the decency to loosen his grip, if anything, he pulls her closer._ _

__She sighs, and almost considers just...letting it be. Letting this happen. But as much as she wants to, she cant. She can't keep doing this to herself, you know? Chase doesn't actually like her, and she has to stop fooling herself into thinking he does._ _

__So she reaches up and flicks his cheek, and when he reflexively moves his arm, she pushes away and fucks off to the bathroom for the next half hour._ _

__When, she comes out, everyone is up. The storm still isn't giving up, though it's due to stop around noon. Alex is already tapping away, and the rest of the Scooby gang is in the kitchen while Chase attempts breakfast, though it seems like Molly is doing most of the work- for an overstressed fourteen year old, she has culinary_ skills _.__

__"......Hey, guys." She says, trying to hide that she's nervous, though she doesn't really know why she is. Though maybe it has something to do with the way Chase is looking at her, with stars in his eyes and a warm smile that she has to be misinterpreting, right? Right?_ _

__"Hey, you showed up. Kind of thought you passed out in there," Molly says, laughing, "Here, try this, would you? I'm trying to make our pancake recipe from memory but...." she holds out the spoon, and Gert leans forward and tastes the batter._ _

__"Hmm," she says, "It needs blueberries, I think. Chase," she won't, can't, look at him, "blueberries?"_ _

__He takes them from the fridge and passes them to Molly, clearly trying to make eye contact with Gert, but she looks in the other direction, running her hands up and down the sleeves of Chase's sweater, that she's still wearing, somehow, in discomfort._ _

__The pancakes are ready within the next fifteen minutes, and Nico drags Alex into the kitchen to eat. They sit together at the island and dig in, all drowning the pancakes in syrup because they're teenagers and it's required for teenagers to eat pancakes with too much syrup._ _

__Chase is sat next to her, she couldn't avoid it, and he keeps trying to nudge her into the conversation. Prompting her, making a joke that she's obviously supposed to respond to, actually nudging her with his elbow. Any other day, she'd be able to do this. But right now, she doesn't even want to be here, she just wants to go home, eat ice cream, and wallow._ _

__~~~~~_ _

__She won't look at him, she won't even talk to him. Chase knows that this morning was kind of.....weird, but in a good way, right? Maybe? Or maybe he really did fuck it up past repair, and there's no way they'll even be friends anymore._ _

__God, he hopes not._ _

__~~~~~_ _

__After they eat, they all start to head back to the living room, basically planning to stare over Alex's shoulder until the storm lets up, but Chase grabs her arm before she can leave._ _

__"Hey, could I.......talk to you?"_ _

__"Well, we're already talking right now, but what's up?" ah, sarcasm, a girl's best friend._ _

__He slides the door shut, steps closer, and says, "That's the thing, though, I'm not sure we are? Talking, that is. I feel like I messed up big time and then got amnesia. Gert, I know this morning must've made you uncomfortable, but it wasn't on purpose. Is there some big thing that I've done recently that upset you? If you tell me, I'll apologize, but I can't apologize for something that I don't know I did, you know?," he gestures with hands, the same way he always does when he's trying especially hard to get his point across._ _

__"Listen," she says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "It's not anything you did, okay? You're......you're not at fault here, this is my thing, and I just need some time to deal, some time to fucking recuperate, I guess, and, and you don't have be any part of it, so just, just-" she has to pause slow her breathing, because she is not going to freak out right now, she is in control, she's okay._ _

__Chase leans in and softly wipes away a tear making its way down her cheek with his thumb, cupping her cheek. "Not that you have to," he says, "but this would a bit more sense if you actually told me what the problem is." His hand is still on her cheek, and she has to resist the urge to lean into it, chase the warmth of him that she wants so bad._ _

__".......Okay," is she actually doing this? What the hell, is she actually doing this? "Okay, okay, okay. I..........I have feelings for you. There. I said it."_ _

__And then she actually looks at him, makes eye contact for the first time since last night, notices the shots of green in his hazel eyes. Notices, for the first time, how he looks at her; like she put the stars in the sky and the moon was hung for her pleasure._ _

__"Oh, Gert," he sounds unbearably soft. "Can I kiss you?"_ _

__She nods, even though she's a bit in shock, and he leans in. This is totally, absolutely, the opposite of how she thought this would go, but she's not complaining._ _

__The kiss is soft, and kind of odd because neither of them can stop smiling, and really, that's a bigger prohibiter than she thought it would be, but whatever. It's the sweetest kiss she's ever experienced._ _

__His other hand goes to her waist, and she twists her fingers into his shirt, and it's so, so good,-_ _

__"Hey, Gert, have you-_ holy crap! _"__

__Molly is standing in the doorway, looking like she just touched a live wire. Whoops._ _

__"Uh-"_ _

__"Um-"_ _

__"Nope!" she says, already turning around, "Don't need an explanation! Enjoy yourselves!"_ _

__They turn to each other and burst into giggles. Chase wraps one arm around her, pulling her in, and she presses her face into his chest._ _

__Gert finally knows what it is he smells like, now._ _

__He smells like home._ _

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Dinah Washington's 'Come Rain Or Come Shine'. thanks for reading!!


End file.
